Professor's radar ideas make waves
Chickasha university's new units may be beginning of advanced statewide system.
Oklahoman, The (Oklahoma City, OK)
March 14, 2006
Author: Jim Stafford; Business Writer
CHICKASHA - Kelvin Droegemeier welcomed the installation of innovative radar technology in southwestern Oklahoma last week, but said he has a much grander vision.
Droegemeier served as emcee at a brief ceremony on the University of Science and Arts of Oklahoma campus here last week before the last of four radar test units was hoisted to its new home high above campus.
"Four radars is a beginning," said Droegemeier, who is a regents professor of meteorology at the University of Oklahoma and deputy director of the consortium that designed and installed the new technology.
"My grand plan would be to cover the whole state with these radars, sort of like the Oklahoma Mesonet covers the whole state."
A collaborative organization that goes by the acronym CASA - the center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere - developed the $40 million project, which was designed and built at the University of Massachusetts. The center is a National Science Foundation-funded partnership among 19 institutions.
Southwestern Oklahoma serves as a test site for the radar because the area receives an average of four tornado warnings and 53 thunderstorm warnings per year. OU and the National Severe Storms Laboratory in Norman both are collaborators in the project.
The new radars differ from current radar technology because they have the ability to look into the lower atmosphere, intuitively track storms or tornadoes, transmit at much lower power levels and can be remotely controlled, said Michael Zink, the organization's technical integration leader.
"We outfitted this radar with a very agile pedestal so that it can move very fast and scan in a very different manner than we have seen in existing radar," Zink said. "The control center is at Oklahoma University, where the data is coming together, where we have the brain, so to speak, of the network."
The four test units are only about 16 miles apart and work "collaboratively" to provide an accurate view of what's happening in the nearby atmosphere.
The goal, Droegemeier said, is to add minutes to the tornado warning lead time and reduce the so-called "false alarm" rate that stands at about 75 percent.
Meteorologists swing and miss so often on tornado warnings because warnings often are issued on the "likelihood" that tornadoes will form, said Kurt Hondl with the National Severe Storms Laboratory.
"They don't always form, and part of the reason we don't know what is going on is we can't always see what is happening with high resolution close to the ground," Hondl said. "That's how the CASA radars are going to augment what NEXRAD (current radar technology) can do by seeing small features close to the ground."
Among those participating in last week's ceremony was Gary England, meteorologist for KWTV NEWS 9, which is a partner in the project. England marveled at the advancements made in weather technology.
"In 1972, when I started in television, I can think of a time that I could only warn Charlie because a tornado blew away Fred's house first," England said. "It's nothing short of astounding what has happened. It's another great idea with great people behind it. I firmly believe it is going to mean great things for the public."
Droegemeier estimated it would take at least 100 or more similar radar units to blanket Oklahoma.
"Stay tuned because this is not the end by installing these four radar systems," Droegemeier said. "This is just the beginning."
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